Barnsley 2 Wolves 1 - Bill Howell's big match report

BY A statistical quirk of fate, 999 Wolves fans made the trip to South Yorkshire. A trip not helped by motorway accidents on the M1.

That’s 999... exactly what you dial in an emergency.

And an emergency is exactly what Dean Saunders and his Wolves side last night dived headlong into.

Down, down, down... deeper into the valley of the bottom three.

Bjorn Sigurdarson celebrates scoring for Wolves

Defeat against a Barnsley side who were on the crest of a wave was no surprise.

But the manner was galling in the extreme.

Even Stale Solbakken had gotten the better of Barnsley.

This was a winner-takes-all affair. Any loser would leave the ground without pride and a bloody nose to boot.

It was without doubt Wolves’ biggest single fixture since their final-day hurrah against Blackburn Rovers the season before last.

One-nil up at the break to Bjorn Sigurdarson’s neatly-taken early opener.

That should have been the platform for a rare victory.

They could even have been cruising had Jamie O’Hara’s shot been deemed to have crossed the goal-line after it smacked down off the underside of the crossbar.

But this side have forgotten how to win.

They allowed the hosts back into a close-knit tussle as defensive frailties resurfaced.

Chris Dagnall headed an equaliser and Jacob Mellis got the winner on a night when Tykes boss David Flitcroft created havoc with his substitutions and Saunders achieved very little with his.

Oh well, only the visit of the runaway leaders Cardiff to Molineux on Sunday.

The fans are angry. A mob of baying supporters baited the players as they made their way towards the tunnel after this, an 11th game without a win.

They can see little chance of the nightmare, which began towards the start of last season not just this, coming to an end.

At kick-off time, Saunders’ side were perhaps not staring relegation in the face.

But they were certainly being glared at from a worryingly close proximity.

That glaring look has now become a grimacing eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation.

Men now have to behave like men. Heroes need to be found.

It could have been very different had Sylvan Ebanks-Blake or Sigurdarson taken their chances.

There was an attacking look to the Welshman’s side with two changes from the team held at Derby County.

Jack Robinson came in for his debut at left-back after his loan from Liverpool was completed yesterday.

And he certainly looked decent enough. He could leave the field with his held head high.

Ebanks-Blake was recalled. Stephen Ward and Kevin Doyle dropped to the bench while Adam Hammill was also included among the substitutes for the first time since his Huddersfield loan.

There was no sign of Slawomir Peszko, Christophe Berra or Tongo Doumbia.

Dean Saunders

Wolves, without a win since before Christmas at Blackpool, needed a golden start. And they got it. Bakary Sako’s through ball was perfect for Sigurdarson who did the rest for his fourth goal of the season. He took the ball around Luke Steele and finished with confidence belying his tender years. Wolves came within inches of doubling the lead when O’Hara curled an exquisite dipping shot against the underside of the crossbar, with the naked eye suggesting it may have bounced over the line.

With Saunders’ men ruing their luck, they were almost undone on the counter-attack as Jim O’Brien set dangerman Dagnall clear, but he dragged his shot wide.

Marlon Harewood then missed a glaring chance from O’Brien’s cross, glancing his header wide of the upright. Sako twice went close as the visitors countered, first blazing over and then testing Steele low down. Then, after a superb turn, Harewood found himself in a glorious position but strangely opted not to shoot and rolled the ball across goal and out of play.

Wolves survived another let-off in first-half stoppage time as Dagnall fired into the side-netting as Flitcroft’s side continued to be denied.

But at half-time it remained 1-0 and Wolves should have felt good about their chances of escaping with the three points.

But the home side upped a gear or two and were deservedly level when Dagnall atoned for his earlier wastefulness by heading Rory Delap’s cross in off the post.

It was the former Rochdale striker’s seventh goal in eight games.

Quite how the Wolves back four could have given him so much time and space in the box is anyone’s guess. That early goal set Barnsley up for a second-half onslaught but it was Wolves who created two golden chances to steal the win.

Ebanks-Blake curled wide when he had done the hard work in beating his marker. Then goalscorer Sigurdarson was denied a second by a fine save from Steele after the ball fell at his feet in front of goal.

Bjorn Sigurdarson celebrates scoring for Wolves

Barnsley came again and they went ahead with 17 minutes remaining. Dagnall foraged down the left, centred for O’Grady to set it back for substitute Mellis, who side-footed a deflected effort into the bottom corner. Wolves huffed and puffed but, like in so many games of late, achieved nothing.